Erb’s Palsy Causes

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Erb’s Palsy (also known as brachial plexus palsy) is a birth injury that is characterized by a loss of movement or weakness in the arm or shoulder. It happens when the collection of nerves around an infant’s shoulder are damaged during a difficult delivery.

Erb’s Palsy causes include:

Pulling on the infant’s head and neck as the shoulders pass through the birth canal

Pulling the infant’s shoulders during a head-first delivery

Pulling on the infant’s feet during a feet-first (breech) delivery, which puts too much pressure on the infant’s raised arms

All of these Erb’s Palsy causes in infants can be due to medical negligence or improper medical care, such as the doctor using excessive force when delivering the baby. However, there are some rare Erb’s Palsy causes that are not due to birth injury. Traumatic injuries from contact sports and car accidents can also be included in the list of Erb’s Palsy causes.

Erb’s Palsy causes need to be examined carefully to determine if medical negligence has occurred. Although some cases of Erb’s Palsy are mild and can heal on their own, there are more severe cases that will require surgery or a lifetime of treatment. For example, brachial plexus avulsion is when the nerve root is severed or cut from the spinal cord. While there is a chance the infant can eventually recover from a more mild injury, a brachial plexus avulsion cannot heal on its own. In some cases, the torn nerve can be helped by surgery.

What are your child’s Erb’s Palsy causes?

Some forms of Erb’s Palsy can mean a lifetime of expensive care for a child. Unfortunately, some cases of this injury are caused by improper medical care during delivery. If your child’s birth injury was caused by medical negligence, an Erb’s Palsy lawsuit can help ease some of your financial burden. A lawsuit may also help prevent a similar situation from happening to another family.

Call a nurse case manager at Sokolove Law today. A nurse case manager will be available to listen to your story and help you explore your options, which may include pursuing an Erb’s Palsy lawsuit. There is no cost to you for us to represent you and your family in a birth injury lawsuit. Sokolove Law only gets paid if you receive money from your case.